Chapel of Love
by Marauding Mara
Summary: What if Halloween '81 never happened? What if Peter Pettigrew was not as much of a rat as he was in the HP-series? What if Mary and Sirius did live happily ever after? Well, they'd be married of course! S/OC J/L R/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to the alternate universe where Sirius and Mary and their friends live happily ever after. I can't say how much I enjoyed writing this little piece and can only hope readers will enjoy reading it just as much. Feedback is always appreciated!**

**Dedication: All my faithful reviewers who never let me down and check out all these little stories because they trust me when I say they're worth it. I could be lying, of course. You never know...**

**Disclaimer: JK, if you're reading this, er... I hope you enjoy it, haha. But I definitely don't own any of the canon characters. Wish I did, though. That'd be cool.**

**Chapel of Love (Part One)****  
**  
It was a sunny early morning at the end of May as a young woman quietly entered a distant and old, but idyllic and well restored 15th century chapel in a small village in Kent. It was the start of a big day for her and her family and she was feeling happy and excited, but also nervous. She hadn't been able to get any sleep last night; after all, there were so many things that could go wrong at a wedding. Which was why she had come down here early: to find out if all the bouquets had been delivered on time, if there were enough chairs for the guests… Her fiancé had teased her about this several times and Mary agreed she had the best Maid of Honor she could wish for in Lily Potter, but she had to be sure herself before she could really start enjoying her own wedding day.

This was one reason Mary wanted to be here early. For the other she was now walking towards a distant alcove in the chapel. She opened a heavy wooden door and paused in front of a large table where some small candles were flickering softly, shedding their weak light on the dark walls. She cast a few Muggle coins in the bowl next to it and picked up five candles: each of them resembling a friend they lost in the war which could not be with here them today. This was Mary's way of expressing that she never stopped caring and was still thinking about their friends a lot, even on this otherwise so joyful day. Fabian, Gideon, Brice, Marlene… She hesitated when she was about to pick up and light the fifth and final candle. Peter…

Mary sighed and lowered the candle as she stared at a blackened spot on the wall. She knew that Peter deserved to be remembered as much as the next person who died in the war. After all, he _had_ redeemed and sacrificed himself for the Order in the end. But if Mary was truly honest with herself, there was still part of her that wondered what in Merlin's name could have happened to them if Peter hadn't crossed over to the right side in time (or at all). She feared things would have been very different and that a lot more Order-members would have lost their lives.

She was still lost in thought and didn't have a clue how she long she had been standing there, twirling the candle in her hands, when she heard a pair of footsteps coming her way. "There you are," Remus's voice interrupted cheerfully as he poked his head around the door.

Mary looked up, jerking her thoughts back to the present. "I'm sorry. Were you looking for me?"

He laughed. "Well, it is a little inconvenient when the bride goes missing on her wedding day. James has been joking around about you running off at the last minute. Drove Sirius mad- In fact, he got so annoyed at one point that he pulled out his wand and conjured another nose on James's left cheek. Oh, and _that_ had Harry and Erin in stitches ever since. They simply refuse to calm down and-"

"But," she frowned. "I told him about going to the chapel before the wedding alone."

"Ah," Remus smiled wryly. "Let's just say that apparently Sirius is able to feel nervous after all, which I think is kind of a relief, actually. But are you finished in here? Lily and your mother are ready to help you get dressed and you said you wanted Cecilia to do your hair, right?"

Cecilia was Remus's girlfriend. They had been going out for a few months and it looked pretty serious, which was great because after Brice's death he had been unable to commit to girls for a long time. Cecilia was a Muggle girl, but her older brother was a wizard who had been to Hogwarts so she knew and understood quite a lot about the wizarding world. She cut and modelled people's hair for a living and was honored when Mary asked if she could do pin up her hair at the wedding. Mary smiled at Remus and nodded. "I'm almost done." She looked down at Peter's candle again and felt the smile diminishing slowly.

Remus noticed it too. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to her.

Mary sighed and looked down at her hands. "I know it sounds really childish, but lighting a candle for Peter… It's just…" She took a deep breath. "I just don't think he deserves it," she blurted out.

Her friend shot her a long look, biting his lip. "Do you really think that. Mary?"

"Yes… No! I don't know…"

"Look," he said calmly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Peter has made many mistakes in life, being partly responsible for what happened to Brice among them, but in the end… He did set things straight."

"How can you say that after what happened to Brice!"

Remus smiled sadly. "Her death is and always will be part of who I am, but… Well, the easiest thing to do is to blame Peter on all the bad things that happened. I admit I am still angry at him sometimes, but I always try to remember that his last deed saved hundreds of lives, including ours."

Mary shrugged. "I was under the impression it was Dumbledore who killed off Voldemort, but whatever works for you…"

"And who was it showing Dumbledore where he could find the Horcruxes?"

She smiled, finally understanding what Remus was trying to make her see. "Peter."

He gently squeezed her shoulder. "There. Now, whether you want to light his candle or not: this is your wedding day, and I'm sure none of deceased friends, including Peter, wants you to think about them too much, not today."

Mary nodded and lighted Peter's candle on another stick that was already burning. She briskly put it down on the table and followed Remus out of the chapel without looking back. James was sitting on one of the steps, rubbing a rather large reddish spot on his cheek. He appeared to look annoyed, especially with Harry and Erin sitting on a nearby bench with Oliver, Lucy and Haley – still giggling madly -, but the twinkling eyes behind his glasses were giving him away. Ten to one he had been laughing the loudest when he noticed there was a second nose on his face. Sirius was standing next to him, looking so handsome in his smart suit that it made Mary gasp in admiration. Even after all those years, she still thought he was the hottest man she had ever seen (he probably knew it too). He grinned confidently when his eyes found hers. "It's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, didn't you know that?"

Mary arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was the other way around, and I'm not in my wedding dress yet."

"No?" he sounded amused. "But I think those jeans suit you particularly well."

James sniggered and Mary rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny. Now if you'll excuse me, I should find Lily and my mother before either one of them starts having a fit."

She turned around to walk to the back building of the chapel when her eyes fell on Erin's dress. A previously baby-blue dress, to be exact. But it wasn't blue anymore. Instead, the dress looked like Erin had been rolling around in the mud like a pig. She also noticed there were several brownish smears on her daughter's arms. "Erin," Mary called as she walked over to her. "Come over here."

The little girl jumped off the bench and slowly approached her, keeping her head down, as if she knew perfectly well she had done something wrong. "What happened here?" Mary demanded.

"Nothing…" Erin said guiltily, fiddling with the hem of the filthy dress.

Mary said nothing, but lifted her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. Erin seemed to shrink a few inches on the spot. "We were playing near the river, mum. Harry and me eh… We tried to beat each other getting back here first."

Mary sighed inwardly, drew her wand and crouched down so she could look her daughter in the eyes. "Listen to me: this is the last time I will clean your dress, understand?" she said sternly before continuing more kindly: "Erin love, you must realize that there are many people of the other world on this wedding. People who cannot clean their clothes that easily. So you must try and keep your dress as clean as possible from now on. That means no more playing around in muddy fields with Harry, alright?"

Erin nodded and Mary pointed her wand at the dress. "_Scourgify_." The dress went back to being impeccable blue again. "There you go," she smiled before kissing Erin on the cheek who flung her arms her neck in return. "I'm sorry, mummy."

"It's alright," she replied as she softly squeezed Erin's hands before letting go. "Just don't do it again."

She watched her daughter run back to the other kids and turned back, only to find Sirius standing a few feet behind her. "Hey," she said. "Just doing some damage control there."

He nodded. "I noticed. I'm sorry, we should have kept an eye on the kids, but with the appearance of James's second nose and everything…"

Mary shrugged, smiling. "It doesn't matter. Just make sure she'll behave herself from now on, or I'll get really angry."

"Point taken. You should really get dressed now, before the guests start arriving. Just…" He hesitated for a moment as if he wasn't too sure if he should continue with what he was about to say.

She shot him a weary look. "What is it, Sirius?"

"Well, father Roberts is suffering from food-poisoning at the moment, so obviously he cannot marry us."

Mary's face fell. "_What_?"

"Hey now listen," Sirius hurried to say as he reached for her hands. "James immediately started looking for someone else and a priest, father Michaels, from a nearby church agreed eh… a little reluctantly to do the job instead. I just wanted you to know this before you walked in there, expecting to see the friendly face of father Roberts and finding someone entirely different."

"Okay…" Mary said slowly. "So we're still getting married?"

Sirius laughed. "Well, being engaged for over seven years is long enough, isn't it?"

Mary snorted. "Good point." She leaned in closer for a quick kiss. "I'll see you in a bit," she said when they broke apart.

He grinned. "Can't wait."

Mary hurried to the back building, where Lily, Jenna (both of them wearing their soft lime-colored bridesmaid gowns) and her mother were arranging the flower bouquets. Her eyes briefly shot to her magnificent wedding dress on a hanger next to the door before she looked at the currently redheaded Cecilia (she changed her hair color so often she could easily have been a Metamorphmagus), who was drinking a cup of coffee as she leaned back against a large dressing table. "Hi there," she said, looking up. "Ready to get your hair and make up done?"

"Absolutely," Mary replied grinning as she sat down in front of the mirror. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, your hair is long and you have these beautiful wavy curls, so I was thinking to pin it up at the back with flowers and letting the rest of your hair cascade over your back. How does that sound?"

Mary agreed, nodding enthusiastically, and from the corner of the room, Jenna noted dryly: "It sounds like Sirius won't be able to keep his hands off you."

Lily and Cecilia laughed and chuckled Mrs. Woods, but quietly. "As long as you won't let you father hear that."

Mary shot her mother an incredulous look. "We have two children. How does dad think we managed to do that? By magic?"

Her mother smiled and shook her head. "Oh, he does know and adores Erin and Oliver. I just think he chooses to believe that in some ways, you'll always be his little girl." She fondly stroke Mary's hair. "Now Cecilia, let's find out how good you really are at this."

"Watch and learn," the redheaded girl grinned confidently and got to work.

* * *

When Cecilia had finished on her make up and hair, Mary could only stare at herself in awe at first. Never before had she looked so classy and refined but playful at the same time. She looked like a moviestar ready to go to the Oscars. And she wasn't even wearing her wedding gown yet. "Wow Cecilia…" Mary said, staring at her reflection. "This is amazing."

"It will look even better when you've got your wedding dress on," Lily said, an amused twinkle in her green eyes.

Mary grinned back and with the help of her mother and Lily, she finally put on the dress she had been dreaming of wearing ever since Sirius asked her to marry him so many years ago. After putting on her shoes, a pair white high-heeled sandals, she turned a few circles in front of the mirror. She usually wasn't all too bothered about how she looked but today, she loved gazing at her own reflection. She wasn't the only one. The other women in the room were also staring at her in awe. Mary noticed her mother was trying to inconspicuously dap the corner of her eyes, clearly moved by the sight of her eldest daughter in a wedding gown. They were still admiring Mary's dress when there was a soft knock on the door. "Pat?" her father's voice sounded from the other end.

"Yes John?" Mary's mother replied.

"The guests have arrived and everyone is good to go. Is Mary ready?"

Her mother looked at Mary, who nodded slowly, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'll be right there." She walked over to her daughter and gently cupped her face. "The next few moments will probably pass you in some sort of blur, but try not to feel too nervous. Just enjoy it."

Mary nodded. "I'll try."

Her mother nodded and looked at Cecilia. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, Remus would be waiting for me at the entrance of the church. Good luck, Mary," she said as she walked to the door.

"Thanks," Mary grinned back nervously before she turned around to the only two other girls in the room left. "So… No turning back now, huh?"

"Nope," Jenna said laughing as she handed over a beautiful wedding bouquet. "I think mum is right. Just try enjoying yourself a bit up there. Oh, and don't trip, cause that would be really embarrassing."

Mary groaned. "Thanks for reminding me, sis."

"Nah, you'll do fine. Look, I'll go right ahead and try to keep the kids in line. I see at you the entrance, alright?"

"Okay." She watched Jenna leaving the room before she looked back at Lily. Her best friend shot her a long look, which made Mary feel like she was being x-rayed, before she asked: "Scared?"

Mary thought for a moment. "Terrified, but it's a happy fear. At least I think so." She looked down at her hand before she slowly took off the engagement ring and looked at it. "I've gotten rather attached to this little thing over the years. It has accompanied me through many life-threatening situations. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about having to take it off for good."

"Hmm," Lily replied thoughtfully. "You know, there is still time to storm into the graveyard and freak out if you want."

Mary smiled, remembering how a tearful Lily had stormed off right before she was getting married to James. "Thanks Lil, but it's not marrying Sirius I'm worried about. It's surviving that bloody walk to the altar."

"Ah," Lily grinned as she hooked her arm through Mary's. "Then what are we still doing here? Just lean on your dad as you go along and keep your eyes on the man you're about to marry. There's nothing to it, you'll see."

* * *

But this was easier said than done. When Mary was standing in front of the doors of the chapel, surrounded by her father, Lily, Jenna, the kids and two photographers (one Muggle and one wizard, so that there would be enough still and moving pictures for everyone), her heart was beating so fast she could hear the blood rush through her ears. She hardly felt it when Oliver (who was very shy at this age) was tugging at her dress, telling her he was scared. It was Jenna who kneeled down in front of her godson and nephew, saying it would be fine.

Then the music started out of nowhere, or so it seemed, and then there was another nervous pang in Mary's stomach. She watched in a daze how Jenna and then Lily walked into the chapel and didn't notice it immediately when her father was hooking his arm through hers. "You can still pull back if you want to," he said calmly, noticing she was trembling on her legs.

She looked up at him in shock. "Why does everybody keep asking me this? I want to marry him!"

He grinned and his blue eyes were twinkling, revealing he was only joking. "Okidoki. I was just checking."

Mary rolled her eyes, but noticed some of her nerves had disappeared because of her last outburst. At least she could smile again as she watched Harry, Erin, Haley and Lucy entering the chapel one by one, all carrying baskets with white and soft pink petals. Oliver was last, but he hesitated and shot an anxious look at his mother. "It's alright, Oliver," she said encouragingly.

He still seemed unsure whether or not to listen to her, but eventually he did step into the chapel, clasping his basket nervously. Mary was about to heave a relieved sigh when he suddenly reappeared, hurrying back out and burying himself in her skirt. There were some noises coming from the chapel now, there was some laughter and other voices sounded concerned, and Mary exchanged a look with her father before she crouched down in front of her son. "Oliver," she said softly as she put a hand under his chin so she forced him to look up at her. "What's wrong?"

Oliver sniffed, tears shimmering in those eyes that were just as blue as Mary's. "I'm scared."

"Oh sweetie, you don't have to be."

"Bu-hut all the people are… staring and… and-I-don't-know-where-to-go," he finished quickly.

Mary smiled and pulled him into her arms. "Listen, you can do this. All you have to do is walk straight ahead, okay? Daddy is there too. Only look at him when you walk inside and you'll be fine, okay?"

Oliver nodded as he rubbed his eyes and Mary tenderly kissed his forehead before getting up straight. She gently pushed him forward. "Go on."

She watched how her son walked into the chapel again and this time, he didn't reappear although even both of them could hear he was not walking, but running through the chapel towards the front. Then there was a sound of 'awwwww' booming through the chapel and Mary assumed Oliver had managed to find his dad among the crowd after all. She looked sideways at her father who smiled and said: "Off we go, then."

Mary merely nodded, unable to speak or even laugh. She was hardly aware of the moment the two of them rounded the doors and finally walked into the chapel themselves. The faces of the guests flew by in a blur as they passed them, because Mary only did exactly what her mother and Lily had told her earlier: to lean on her father and keep her eyes locked with Sirius and him alone. And what a sight that was. If his mouth would have been hanging open it would have reached his knees, Mary was sure of that. He was staring at her as if he could hardly believe his eyes, a dazed smile plastered on his handsome face that she had seen only twice before: on the days that Erin and Oliver were born. It seemed to take hours before she had reached him and he eagerly stepped down the steps to take her hand from her father. "I… You…" he said, eyeing her from head to toe.

Mary smiled, her nerves forgotten in an instant. "I suppose this is why the groom shouldn't see the bride before they are married."

"You're so beautiful," he finished quietly as if he hadn't even heard her at all.

"You too," she replied, fighting a blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

A dry cough interrupted their little moment. They turned around and for the first time Mary found herself staring at father Michaels, a short thin man with thick eyebrows, dark glinting brown eyes and hardly any hair left on his head. And he looked… Well, like someone who had forgotten to smile since the days of World War I. He ushered them to go and stand in front of him as if he couldn't wait to get out of here soon enough. It was far from father Roberts, who had been kind to them from the very beginning, but as Mary looked sideways at Sirius, she realized nothing could to spoil this day for them. They were finally getting married. She smiled to herself as Sirius took her hand and carefully guided her to the priest, who started talking as if he wasn't marrying, but lecturing them for having done something wrong. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, we are here to witness and celebrate the union of these two people, Sirius Black and Mary Adrienne Woods. If there is anyone present who knows of any just cause why this couple should not…"

Mary kept glancing at Sirius every now and then during the ceremony. For one because she wanted to break away from Michaels' stern glare whenever she could and two, she couldn't get enough of staring at her soon to be husband. Sirius was mostly staring right ahead at the priest, outwardly poised as ever but Mary knew him well enough to know that deep down inside, he was just as excited as she was. One time he momentarily glanced at her and gave her a tiny wink, making her stomach lurch in a very pleasant way. Her mind got pulled back to the present when father Michaels called Sirius's name. "Do you, Sirius Black, solemnly swear you take this woman, Mary Adrienne Woods, as your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love, honor, cherish and keep her in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Sirius grinned mischievously. "It's too late to back out now, isn't it?"

A wave of laughter went through the chapel, James, Sirius's Best Man, snorted loudly and everybody else (including Mary) smiled, with the exception of Michaels, who stared Sirius down with admirable sternness. "Son, if this is really what you want, then we should make"-

"-What?" Sirius interrupted quickly. "No, of course! I love Mary, I was only kidding."

Michaels stared at him, his thick dark eyebrows furrowing together at alarming speed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Of course I want to marry Mary," Sirius repeated hastily, reaching for her hand to emphasize his words. "It was only a joke."

Michael's eyebrows were now so close together that they had become a very thick unibrow. "Things like this are not to be joked about, son."

The corners of Sirius's mouth twitched and considering the muffled sounds behind them, the rest of the guests were also holding back a laugh. James coughed modestly and leaned towards the priest. "Father, as Sirius's Best Man I can assure you Mary is the _only_ woman he will ever marry. So by all means, please continue."

Michaels turned his penetrating eyes on her. "Miss…?"

Mary tried to force back a laugh as she said casually: "Oh, I am fine, father. Please continue, before... Please, go on." She had wanted to add "or he might change his mind for good" but for the sake of everyone, she thought it would be wise to keep her mouth shut for once.

After staring at her for another moment, right when Mary started to get nervous, he turned back to Sirius. "Where was I? Ah. Do you, Sirius Black, solemnly swear you take this woman, Mary Adrienne Woods, as your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love, honour, cherish and keep her in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Sirius wasted no time in replying and kept his eyes on Michaels as he said: "I do."

The priest shot him another, rather reproachful look before turning back to Mary. "And you, Mary Adrienne Woods, do you solemnly swear you take this man, Sirius Black, as your lawfully wedded husband? Will you love, honour, cherish and keep him in sickness and health till death do you part? If so, please answer: I do."

Mary smiled at Michaels before turning to Sirius, so she would look at him as she solemnly said: "I do."

The priest turned to James. "Do you have the rings?"

James pulled the box out of his pocket as soon as possible, almost afraid to piss off Michaels again, who took the rings and said: "Sirius and Mary, please take these rings and place them on the ring finger of each other's left hand and by doing so, seal the eternal love that will bond your souls in this life and the next."

They did so in silence as they looked and smiled at each other, completely oblivious to any sounds in the chapel or the two photographers around them. When they had finished putting the rings they kept their hands linked and looked up at Michaels, who continued: "May these rings stand as a sign to you of your desire to love and cherish each other. I now declare you husband and wife." He shot Sirius a last pointed look. "You may now kiss your bride."

Sirius couldn't be more happy to take his eyes off Michaels and look at Mary instead. He was grinning as he gently cupped her face and leaned forward to give her a tender kiss. The chapel broke out in applause and Mary could hear the camera's around her clicking away at full speed, but all she focused on for the moment was Sirius and his lips touching hers. When they finally broke apart and stepped down the altar to walk out of the chapel together, closely followed by Erin and Oliver, he grinned at her. "I thought that man was gonna kill me," he muttered darkly, rolling his eyes.

Mary laughed. "If you would have made another joke, I think he just might have done."

"Seriously, those eyebrows are going to give me nightmares for weeks!"

They had walked out of the chapel and turned around in the little hall. Bright rays of sunlight were shining on their faces through the small leaded windows above them as both of them crouched down. Sirius picked up Oliver and Mary reached for Erin, who automatically grabbed a lock of her long hair. The four of them stood there silently for a moment, enjoying the calm before the storm as the guests would soon exit the chapel as well, and Mary shot Sirius a look over Erin's head. Her husband. No longer boyfriend or even fiancé, but _husband_. "It's a whole new chapter of our lives," she said quietly, having trouble hiding the obvious emotion in her voice.

Sirius smiled as he reached for her hand and squeezed it softly, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Love, we're only getting started."

-End of Part One-

**A/N: Part Two will be posted in a few days, so stay tuned! -Mara**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapel of Love (Part Two)**

Their little moment of blissful peace didn't last very long. Sirius had hardly finished his last sentence when the entrance door of the chapel burst open and countless excited people started to come out. Mary's mother was one of the first to emerge and she walked straight towards them, closely followed by the two photographers. "There you are!"

Mrs. Woods pulled Mary (still carrying Erin) and Sirius (holding Oliver) into a big hug and kissed them both on the cheek, beaming with twinkling eyes. "Well done, you two, well done. Oh, I'm so happy! Anyway, you should go and wait for the guests to arrive at the restaurant. Better hurry now, before people will get there sooner than you and we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"

Sirius and Mary exchanged a glance before gently lowering their children back to the ground. Their brief act of non-verbal communication didn't go by unnoticed. "What's wrong?" Mrs. Woods asked.

"Nothing mum," Mary replied a little too quickly and her mother lifted her eyebrows at her. "Well," Mary elaborated after another moment. "It's just that we haven't been on our own at all today. Just the four of us, you know, and…"

Her mother smiled. "I do understand what you're talking about, honey, but this is your _wedding day_! You have the rest of your life to spend all your time together and drive each other mad. Or at least those kids will at one point," she added thoughtfully. "Now. Erin, Oliver: mummy and daddy are going to await the guests, so how about if you help me finding your grandfather?"

Erin nodded excitedly and stepped up to her grandmother, waiting patiently to see what would happen next. Oliver on the other hand clung to his father's leg, gripping his trousers rather tightly. "Hey," Sirius said gently as he crouched down so he could look his son in the eye. "What's wrong?"

Oliver shrugged shyly and looked up at his mother, who smiled. "Don't you wanna go to grandpa?" Mary asked. "I think Harry, Haley and Lucy are there as well."

Oliver shrugged again, apparently still indecisive about whether he should be fine if he left from either Sirius or Mary's side. Luckily his big sister had already made up her mind for both of them. "Why not, Oliver?" Erin asked. "Maybe grandpa will swing you around in the air by your ankles again, just like last Summer. You liked that, right?"

Mrs. Woods smiled and patted Erin on her head. "I don't think that would be the best idea, love. Not today, anyway."

"Hmmm," Sirius said thoughtfully. "But I bet he can find you the biggest ice cream in the restaurant if you ask him nicely, though."

Oliver looked up, a big smile creeping up his face and Sirius laughed as he ruffled his son's dark curly hair. "There you go. He's feeling better already. Off you go then."

They watched their offspring walk towards the restaurant with Mrs. Woods, Erin frolicking a little ahead of them and Oliver tightly holding onto his grandmother's hand. Sirius looked at Mary and reached for her hand. "Come on, Mrs. Black."

She nodded, grinning over finally sharing her last name with Sirius and their children, and joined him and the two photographers in walking to the restaurant. They agreed to do a wedding photo shoot right after they had welcomed their guests to the reception. Mary noticed that the Muggle photographer repeatedly shot curious looks at the (to him at least) odd-looking photo camera from the wizard, but apparently he was acting too professional to question his colleague about that. When the photographers had walked off to have some tea and food of their own and Mary and Sirius had almost reached the entrance of the restaurant, he turned towards her and said: "I really think we have the sweetest son."

Mary smiled back. "I know. I do hope he will grow out of that shyness he's got going eventually." She laughed. "He's so different from Erin."

"Tell me about it. Did you see his face when I mentioned the ice cream? I swear he just as well could have been Peter's son!"

Mary stiffened. Why did Sirius have to go and mention Peter on this day and even in a way that suggested she would have cheated on him with his treacherous friend and got pregnant in the process? The thought alone was enough to make her feel sick, and not only because Peter had betrayed her and her friends. Sirius noticed that her face fell and turned her towards him. "Hey, I was only joking."

"I don't think that is even remotely funny," Mary spluttered, glaring at him. "To think that I would… And with _him_ is just… It's making me sick to my stomach, that's what it does."

He put a cool hand to her burning cheek. "I know that. I also know how you feel about Peter and I respect that, but never be able to talk or joke about him again, turning him into some sort of Unspeakable person… That wouldn't be right."

Mary sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I know. And you're right, of course. I just wish Brice could have been here with us, that's all."

She felt her eyes were getting wet, frustrated once again that one of her oldest friends could not be with them on this important day, and when Sirius saw there was a tear rolling down her cheek he pulled her close to him. "Hey shhh, it's okay."

Mary rested her head against her neck for a moment, breathing in the scent of his after shave and she could feel the stress and sadness slowly fade away. She knew that as long as she was with Sirius, it would be alright. He'd always be there and know exactly how to calm her down. Right now was another perfect example of that. "I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too," he replied softly and, noticing she had calmed down slightly, gently lifted her chin so that she was looking straight at him. "Better now?"

She smiled back and nodded but before she could reply, they got interrupted by a young man. "Oi! Could you two lovebirds cut it out for just a moment?"

They turned around and found themselves staring at James and Lily, holding hands. It always amazed Mary that they were still so obviously in love, even after so many years of marriage. Lily was shooting James an amused look before she said: "Look guys, we're sorry to interrupt, but there are a lot of people waiting at the door and they're getting kind of hungry, so…"

"Oh, sorry!"

The four of them hurried down the last part of the lane that was surrounded by large oak trees and many fields with bright green grass and flowers and sprinted up the steps of the restaurant, an old Victorian building with a large rose garden that reached as far as the bank of a small lake. Sirius, following James and Lily, pulled Mary along by the hand and walked straight to the front door, where Mary's mother, tapping her fot impatiently, and the owner of the restaurant were waiting for them.

They spent the next hour welcoming guests and receiving wedding presents. There were so many hands to shake that Mary stopped counting at one point, but she did appreciate that so many people were showing up. Besides their best friends and Mary's entire family, Sirius's cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted and daughter Nymphadora stopped by and there were also a lot of people from St. Mungo's (Pierce, Edgar Bones and Ching-Lu among them) and the Ministry (including Sirius's boss Matthews and Dirk Creswell, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office), old allies from the Order such as Mad-Eye Moody, Frank and Alice Longbottom and Elphias Doge. Even some of their old Professors were there: Slughorn, McGonagall, Flitwick and of course Dumbledore, who shook both their hands warmly and said he couldn't be happier for them.

It was very enjoyable to be congratulated by all of them but also exhausting, and Mary felt relieved when she noticed that the cue of people was getting shorter and finally, with shaking the hand of her notorious moody aunt Muriel and uncle Carl, she could finally give her aching arm a rest. But only for a minute, because they were supposed to shoot some official wedding pictures next. They had agreed to make one series with their kids and one without them. Mary was sure of one thing: these pictures of their family in front of the fountain and Victorian building (both moving and unmoving) would look no less than awesome. Erin was having loads of fun and adored posing for the camera's, but even Oliver seemed to lose some of his shyness at one point; he even boldly climbed onto the edge of the fountain in the end and almost lost his balance if it weren't for Sirius who caught him just on time.

Afterwards Mary's parents took the kids back inside and she followed Sirius and the photographers to a nearby field with several horses and even a few falls. "Right," the Muggle man said in his heavy Cockney accent. "Why don't you two get over there, so that me and Douglas can shoot some nice pictures from the newlyweds." He chewed his gum thoughtfully for a moment. "You wouldn't mind if your dress got a little dirty, now would you?"

"Not at all," Mary replied serenely, thinking a simple _Scourgify_ would take care of most of the damage.

She followed Sirius into the meadow and heaved up her dress a little bit to avoid some excrements from the horses. Once they had found a safe spot somewhere in the middle, the photographers started shooting away. When Sirius lifted Mary off her feet and held her up in the air for a moment, the Muggle man called Ben called: "Hold that pose!"

Douglas shot him an empathetic look and Sirius had trouble keeping a straight face and when he slowly lowered Mary back to the ground he held her close to him so he could whisper: "I'm bored out of my wits, but I have a plan to shake things up a little. Are you up for it?"

Mary shot him a surprised look, but nodded eventually. "Sure."

He grinned mischievously and winked at her before turning to the photographers. "The owner of the restaurant told me there's a nice pond behind those trees. I should check it out and see if it's another great location."

The photographers agreed and while Sirius ran away, they focused on shooting more photos of Mary who was now stroking a beautiful white mare and her brown foal. She continued to do so calmly while she waited for Sirius's return, since she already had a sneaky suspicion about what her husband was going to do. And indeed, only a few seconds later a large scruffy dog came running towards them. She almost rolled her eyes but could appreciate the prank at the same time, especially since both of the photographers looked rather shocked. "Where'd he come from?" Ben frowned.

"I don't know," Douglas said, shooting a doubtful look at Mary. "Aren't you scared? He looks rather dangerous."

"Oh, I sincerely doubt that," Mary replied as she crouched down and tickled Sirius the dog behind his ears, who barked happily and started to jump around her, yet he didn't put his paws against her white dress a single time. He merely trotted behind and next to her, at one point even carefully licking her hand. The photographers continued to click away frantically, although they still didn't really seem to trust that rather large dog.

"Are you sure you don't know this animal?" Ben wondered aloud. "He seems to like you, know you even."

Mary shrugged and gave the dog a kiss on his head before he ran back to the group of trees at the end of the meadow, chasing some of the horses in the process. "No, I assume he's just one of the watch-dogs or something. Look, there's Sirius again."

"Did you see that dog?" Ben asked him when he had reached them, panting a little.

"Dog?" Sirius replied, looking deadpan. "I did actually. Large bear-like animal, right? Rather frightful thing if you ask me." He blew his hair out of his face. "Why?"

Ben snorted. "Because he seemed to have a thing for your Misses."

"What?" Sirius said, walked over to Mary and looked at her with mock-concerned expression on his face. "Honey, are you alright? Did he bite you?"

Mary could see the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and shook her head, laughing. "No, I'm fine."

"Well," Douglas said, who had been watching them with a curious expression on his face as if he was detecting that he was being fooled. "I'd suggest to take some final pictures of you making out in the sun and then head back to the restaurant and have some dinner. What say you?"

"Agreed!" Mary and Sirius called at the same time.

Thirty minutes later the four of them entered the restaurant and could finally sit down at a large table near the front. A table they would be sharing with their kids, James, Lily (and Harry, Haley and Lucy), Remus, Cecilia, Mary's parents and Jenna and her boyfriend William. They had dinner together while Sirius told them all about the photo shoot and that "mysterious appearance of a bear-like dog". At this, James choked on his lamb chops and only got some breath when Remus finally decided to help him by letting him drink some water to clear his sore throat.

When everyone had finished their dessert, a traditional wedding cake, and leaned back on their comfortable chairs to rest a little bit, it was time for the speeches. Mary, who had a snoozing Haley (a young girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and hazel eyes) sitting on her lap, handed her goddaughter back to her mother Lily, so she could sit up straight and pay more attention to what the speakers had to say. At first her father told an amusing story about Mary's life and how she grew up, including showing several photographs (some were beautiful, others a little embarrassing). He ended with a few words on Sirius and how he had welcomed this man into his family at the age of seventeen, and that by now, he was seeing him as the son he never had. Sirius smiled modestly and casually nodded at Mr. Woods, but Mary could see he was feeling more touched than he was showing and she squeezed his hand gently.

When Mr. Woods had stepped down from the stage, it was James's turn. He appeared to have needed three pieces of parchment to scribble down his notes. "Hi everyone," he said and waved around the hall. "I'm James Potter, one of Sirius and Mary's best friends from our school, Hogwarts. And as their best man, it is my duty to tell you a story on how they hooked up and why they are destined to grow old together. And with Sirius and Mary… Well, that's not as easy as it seems. You see," he said, running a hand through his untidy hair. "They didn't like each other all that much at first. If I recall it correctly, he used to think she was a snob who only had eyes for books and she thought that he – and I quote – "swapped girls sooner than his underwear". Of course she forgot to add that truthfully she would have liked to be one of those girls herself…"

The Hall roared with laughter and Mary grinned while vehemently shaking her head. "Not true, James! And you know that."

He chuckled and winked at her before he continued: "It's also common for a best man to come up with rather embarrassing notes about both groom and bride and I have been looking forward to this moment since Sirius was my best man. However, unfortunately I, nor my wife and our best friends, could think of _anything_ embarrassing that has happened to Sirius. Which means he is either God or simply knows how to hide humiliating encounters really well."

Sirius smirked and leaned back in his chair, suddenly completely at ease. "So I had to come up with something different and equally entertaining instead. I have decided to give you a clear recap on happenings that formed and eventually changed the course of their relationship. I'll be brief, because I can see why most of you cannot wait to go outside, get drunk and dance the night away. Rest assured I will… Alright then. Year one: Mary and Sirius end up on the same boat to Hogwarts and manage to hate each other after only one conversation, simply because they don't seem to have the same sense of humor. Year two: When Mary's old pony Mistral dies and she's bawling her eyes out in the Common Room, Sirius casually – but close enough so she can hear him – notes: "Do you reckon we'll get horse steak for dinner again anytime soon? Last time the meat tasted like leather; I bet they gave me a really old horse or something."

Once again the Hall burst out laughing, with the exception of Sirius who was leaning over to Mary with a shocked expression on his face. "Did I actually say that?" he asked, putting his hand on her back.

Mary looked at him and nodded slowly. "Yeah, you did… Rather vicious, that one."

"I cannot believe I did that! I don't even remember. Love, I'm so _so_ sorry."

She smiled and put her hand over his. "It happened a long time ago."

"Year three," James announced when the Hall had finally calmed down a little. "This is the year Sirius starts to get really busy with the ladies, much to Mary's chagrin, especially since he's still belongs to the best students of the class while spending as little time in the library as possible. Year four: the turning-point; Sirius finally starts to realize that Mary is a true Hogwarts hottie. Unfortunately that feeling is not mutual and when she decides to have a little fun with other guys, Sirius sees it as his ultimate goal to beat and annoy her in that department even more. Year five: the year when things get really bad in the beginning, become slightly better when they have a detention together and end disastrously during the OWL's after a big prank – a rather funny one if you ask me - on one of our classmates from Slytherin House."

Sirius shot a look at Mary and whispered from the corner of his mouth: "It wasn't _that_ bad, right?"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I yelled at you for about ten minutes while Lily was outside the portrait hole talking to Snape and ended up casting the Bat-Bogey Hex."

He groaned, cringing at the memory, before focusing on James again. "Year six: while Sirius remains focused on becoming a legendary heartbreaker, Mary is starting to see _why_ the guy is so irresistible to girls. However, admitting this defeat to Lily, Brice, Sirius and most of all, herself, would take another year, which brings me to… Year seven: the year Sirius transforms into the nice and monogamous young man he is today and finally succeeds in conquering the fair lady's heart. And well… I could try to persuade you on why they are perfect for each other, but just look at them…"

He fell silent for a moment to get his point across, and Sirius brought Mary's hand to his mouth to kiss it, but she kept looking at James, curious to hear what he was going to say next. "They have been through a lot, have been engaged for ages… And well, I certainly don't think that this marriage has changed them much. Of course it's now official and Mary finally has the same last name as her spouse and children and that's all wonderful, but to me… They've been married for quite some time."

He coughed and flipped to the last piece of parchment. "While I was writing down this – and I apologize – rather long speech, I searched for something that would really symbolize the love between those two people, my best mate and my oldest girlfriend. I could only conclude that right now, I'm staring down at the embodiment of yin and yang. Strong and powerful on their own, but incomplete at the same time. However, when put together, they are simply invincible and perfectly balanced. That's how I see it and I could not be happier for both of them: be good to one another." He raised his glass of champagne and stated solemnly: "To Mary and Sirius."

"To Mary and Sirius!" the entire hall echoed.

The happy couple also raised their glasses, but neither of them could speak for a moment. Mary was trying to swallow away a lump in her throat. She was already feeling rather emotional today and James's speech had been so compelling that she could cry a river without even really trying. So when James stepped down and walked back to their table, refolding his speech and putting it back in his pocket, she hugged him with all her might and whispered: "That was wonderful. Thank you."

He gently rubbed her back and kissed her hair. "Glad you liked it."

Meanwhile, Sirius had announced that the guests should go into the garden to have another drink and perhaps dance a little bit. And when Mary walked over to Lily and hugged her best friend close, she noticed how her husband was putting a hand on the shoulder of her best friend's husband. The men were talking in quiet voices, but she could still overhear them.

"Prongs, that part about embarrassing moments…"

"Yesssss?" James required, his eyebrows raised.

"Did I ever tell you about my first time?"

James ruffled the back of his hair. "Er, that was with that Ravenclaw… what's her name, Lynn…"

"Lynn Foggerty," Sirius nodded earnestly. "Well, did I?"

"Not I can recall, no."

"Ah. Well, that explains a lot."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Now is not the time nor the place to talk about _that_. But ask me another time, preferably when I've had too much to drink. It's a shame I'm already married. I dare say it would have been particularly suitable for a best man's speech."

He turned around to walk back to the girls when James called in a frustrated voice: "That's it? That's all you're gonna give me?"

Sirius turned back, grinning. "Oh alright, just that it has probably given Filch nightmares for weeks."

He took Mary by the hand, who had been watching them with interest and guided her straight to the dance floor where they danced for a while, occasionally switching partners but always ending up in each other's arms. When it was time for them to leave for their honeymoon (to India, Sri Lanka and the Maledives), Mary stepped onto a stage and got ready to throw the wedding bouquet. She noticed Cecilia was also among the crowd and shot Remus a mischievous look: should she charm the bouquet like Lily had done at her wedding? He seemed to know what she was thinking and anxiously shook his head; Mary understood that this had nothing to do with Cecilia, but that he just wasn't ready for such a commitment. Instead she let fate decide: she cast the bouquet over her shoulder and, with a graceful arch, it landed right into the arms of… Jenna.

Mary turned back and looked from her father, who looked like he was about to faint, to William, who was staring at her sister with a startled expression on his face, and finally to her mother, who was just smiling broadly, clapping her hands excitedly. Mary carefully descended the stairs and hugged her younger sister, who was beaming. "I don't know if Will is going to ask me soon, Mare," she rattled excitedly. "But I do hope he will eventually. I have a feeling he's also my yin. Or yang, or whatever."

Mary laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Just don't push it, Jenna. Guys generally don't like that and I think Will is no exception."

Sirius appeared next to them and hugged Jenna. "Congratulations. I dare say you gave Will quite a scare. Your dad too, I might add."

Jenna shrugged. "Maybe they'll just have to get used to the idea. I better go and talk to them. Have fun in Asia!"

She walked off and Sirius and Mary went looking for Erin and Oliver, who would be spending their honeymoon at their grandparents house, to say goodbye. Their daughter was excited to go the manor and "see the horses" and even Oliver seemed to be looking forward to it, although he probably didn't realize he would be spending the next three weeks without his parents.

After they had also said goodbye to James, Lily, and Remus, Sirius and Mary thanked the guests for coming and wished them a safe journey home. They walked to a distant room of the restaurant, changed into more comfortable clothes, collected their luggage and disapparated to the Maledives, where they would spend the first week. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and Mary could not wait to dive into the calm ocean. Sirius suggested she could go for a walk on the beach while he would take the luggage to their cabin. Mary agreed, but only because he insisted, and walked across the long beach for a while with her shoes in her hand, occasionally letting the calm water wash over her bare feet. It was about four o'clock in the morning on this side of the planet. Soon the sun would start to rise. For a brief moment Mary really missed Erin and Oliver and wished they could have been here with them, but then she realized that she was on one of the most beautiful locations in the world with Sirius, so she should enjoy the peace while it lasted.

Mary sighed and decided it was time to check on Sirius. She took her time and sauntered to their cabin that was located on the edge of the beach. When she was getting so close she could see the front door, she noticed there was a long trail of red roses on the ground. Mary smiled. This was _so_ Sirius and she could not help but falling for his charm all over again. She reached down to pick up the first rose and noticed there was a sweet little note attached to it. In fact, looking a little closer, there was a note or picture attached to _every_ flower ahead of her.

Mary continued to pick up and look at the cards, the amount of roses in her arms growing steadily as she neared the door. The cards on the last nine roses each contained a single word: A. Thousand. Times. More. Beautiful. Than. One. Thousand. Roses. By the time Mary read the final card and knocked on the door, she was simply glowing inside. Her smile became even bigger when Sirius opened the door. "This was just…" she stammered, lost for words. "Amazing, I…"

He shrugged modestly. "Well, I had to do something and figured you just can't go wrong with red roses. Well, not unless your name is James Potter."

He smiled at her with that enchanting and mesmerizing smile, and Mary dropped the roses to the floor so that she could wrap her arms around his neck instead and kiss him passionately. Sirius responded eagerly and lifted her off her feet so she could envelope her legs around his waist. Somewhere along the way they got rid of practically all their clothes. Sirius was now slowly carrying her over to a large four-poster bed where he dropped her, right on top of more rose petals, pink ones this time. "Finally," he mumbled with his lips against her hot skin while running a hand through her wavy long hair.

Mary never felt more beautiful and pulled Sirius on top of her, feeling a desperate urge to get as close to him as possible. He planted several kisses on her face and neck before starting to work his way down. Of course Mary was enjoying all of this immensely, but she just had a sudden thought and stopped. "Hey…"

"What?" Sirius mumbled, his face somewhere down her lower stomach.

"What James was saying about us earlier…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think he was right?"

Sirius kissed a small birthmark on her stomach. "Guess so."

"About being yin and yang, I mean," Mary persisted. "Cause I really think that's true. When I think back of how you calmed me down earlier when I was crying over Brice…"

Sirius grumbled something unintelligible before crawling back up and burying his face in her neck.

"Sirius?" Mary asked after another long pause, stroking his back affectionately. "Come on, what do you think?"

He groaned, his warm breath tickling the skin of her neck. "Do we really have to talk about that _now_?"

She smiled. "No, I suppose not. But I just wanted to know how you feel."

He finally lifted up his head so he could look at her. "Same as you do. I love you. Yin and yang till the very end. Satisfied?"

Mary smiled and nodded before she pulled his head down and kissed him. "Hey, you know what might perfectly optimize our balance?" he grinned when they broke apart.

"What?"

"When yin and yang are fully connecting. _Really_ get together, I mean."

He waggled his eyebrows in a mischievous manner and Mary laughed, understanding all too well what he was referring to. And she could not agree more. She did not protest nor interrupt him again and as they continued to start off their honeymoon in the best possible way while the sun was already starting to rise, she could only think of one thing: they were now officially married and really would be together to the very end, and that was making her the happiest girl on the planet.

-The End

**A/N: Thoughts anyone? Let me know. Readers who leave reviews are wonderful! –Mara.**


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